Unexpectedly
by StarryNox
Summary: All he really knew was that her name was Aria, according to her name tag, and that she had the most vibrant smile he'd ever seen.


The Steaming Mug wasn't the most convenient of coffeeshops for Christoph to spend late evenings at, but that didn't stop him from frequenting it far more than the coffeeshops closer to his dormitory. The low prices, delicious coffee and pastries, and tranquil ambience at this time of night had quickly bumped the location to his list of favorites when he'd begun attending the local university, but now he had to admit there was a fourth reason for him to come during the late shift—namely, one of the few employees who worked during this time.

He'd never spoken to her before, outside of ordering his usual macchiato; all he really knew was that her name was Aria, at least according to her name tag, and that she had the most vibrant smile he'd ever seen. And it didn't hurt that she had a tendency to make little foam hearts in his cup, either. Though he'd never admit it, it was sometimes the highlight of his day.

So, he made the trek over from his dormitory on an almost nightly basis. If she thought anything of his routine, she never voiced it, always greeting him with a perky smile and asking if he wanted his usual. He always left a generous tip, one that sometimes outvalued his actual order. He tried to convince himself that it had nothing to do with his little infatuation. Because really, could he even call it that? Could an infatuation be born out of surreptitiously watching someone make coffee?

He stepped into The Steaming Mug, relishing the reprieve it offered from the cold winter air. Despite the frigid weather, he couldn't imagine forgoing his late evening haunt when he had a project to finish, even if it meant facing Yancy's teasing when he told her his plans for the evening. Aria smiled warmly as he approached the counter.

"The usual?" she asked, already beginning to punch in his order. Christoph smiled in return, absently noting the presence of a brightly-colored ribbon in her hair today.

"Yes, please," he replied, already digging around in his coat pocket for his wallet. He handed over the change before she could state the price.

"I'm surprised you came out all the way here," she commented as she slid a cinnamon roll across the counter space between them. Christoph shrugged.

"I've got a project to work on," he admitted. "I don't work very well at home, and I figure I might as well get something out of it if I have to be out anyway." He raised the pastry as proof. Aria laughed.

"Well you made a good choice," she said with a little wink. "And I'm not just saying that because the cold weather has driven most of my customers away." Christoph chuckled in response. "And here's your macchiato! Good luck with the project." Leaning forward, she added in a conspiratorial whisper, "Really, I should be getting some schoolwork done myself. I've got a _huge_ portfolio due soon."

"Good luck," Christoph said with a little wince, though his interest was piqued at the term portfolio. "If you decide to work on that while I'm here, I won't tell a soul." Aria grinned.

"Think you can lend me a pen?" she asked. Without hesitation, Christoph dug one out from his backpack and handed it over, exchanging it for his coffee. Having received his treats for the evening, Christoph retreated to one of the many empty tables and set up his laptop, watching discretely as Aria pulled over a few napkins and began working. Christoph smiled slightly before he pulled his headphones over his ears—he had a soundtrack to finish producing, and as much as he'd like to chat with the barista, he needed to focus.

Christoph downed the last of his coffee, checking the time to make sure he wasn't keeping Aria past the end of her shift. Noticing his almost-empty surroundings, he suppressed a smile. Evidently, she hadn't been kidding about the cold weather. His gaze then shifted to Aria herself, who looked far more frazzled than before and was surrounded by napkins both crumpled and not.

"Having trouble?" he asked, causing her to jump. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Aria laughed.

"Oh, you're fine," she assured. "You know when you have an idea of what you want, but nothing seems right when you actually try and make it happen? That's all it is." She scrunched up her nose. "And it's such a big portfolio that I want things to be just right." Christoph nodded in understanding.

"You're an art student too?" he asked, choosing to take a leap at the commonality she (likely unknowingly) presented.

"That's right!" she replied cheerfully. "I'm studying fashion design at the Lumiose Institute of the Arts." Christoph tried to prevent his mouth from falling open.

"I'm actually in the music production program there," he replied. Aria's expression brightened.

"Oh, really?" she asked. "No way! What a small world!" She let out a little laugh. "I wonder why I've never seen you around on campus before."

"I usually end up stuck in the audio labs," Christoph admitted sheepishly, a hand coming up to scratch at the back of his neck. "Besides, Lum Arts is pretty big."

"But I'm sure I'd remember your face in a crowd," Aria shot back with a wink. Christoph felt his cheeks flush—the words were _just_ flirtatious enough to make his heart skip a beat. "You're practically a daily customer here, and you've got a pretty distinctive look, you know?"

"I could say the same for you," Christoph replied, internally willing himself not to blush further. "Being distinctive, I mean. And I see you just as often as you see me." Aria laughed, and Christoph allowed himself a brief flicker of hope that her cheeks turned just a bit pink, though it could just be a trick of the light.

"Well, I'll just have to keep an eye out for you," Aria said, smiling widely. "How's your project going?" Christoph grimaced slightly.

"I'm a little stuck, too," he admitted.

"Would another set of ears help?" Aria asked. "I mean, I'm no musical expert, but I like to think I have a decent ear…that, and you're probably running into the same problem of 'I've stared at this assignment for so long that it all blurs together'." Christoph considered it for a moment—he usually worked alone, but he conceded that whenever he asked Yancy for critique, she managed to find something he wouldn't have caught before. Aria _definitely_ had a point about that.

"Let's find out," he joked, bringing his laptop over to the counter and handing over his headphones. "Want me to look at your sketches in exchange?" Aria's response was to push several napkins in his direction.

"What do you think of those?" she asked, slipping on the headphones. Christoph inspected the sketches, silently marveling at how clean each one seemed despite being drawn with pen on a napkin. He knew it was something that had to come from practice, but a part of him wished that he could replicate this kind of work. He stole a glance at Aria, who was nodding along to the track he had been working on. "Hm, I think this part is….too quiet? Or maybe you need to add in another layer? It just feels like something's missing in the middle range, you know?"

"I'll give it a shot," Christoph replied. "Thanks." Pushing her designs over, he added, "I particularly like the one with the ruffled skirt. And this one's nice, but it looks like you're having trouble deciding between a boxy silhouette and something more form-fitting." He paused. "Or maybe that's what you were going for." Aria hummed.

"I guess I _do_ need to decide that, huh," she laughed. "Thanks!" She pointed to the last one. "And this one?"

"It's a bit plain, but that can be good, too. I was thinking something to catch the viewer's attention could be nice right here." He gestured to an area near the dress' waistline, and Aria nodded thoughtfully in response.

"Well, what if I added this?" she asked, adding on a few embellishments with quick strokes of the pen. Christoph nodded in approval. Aria grinned. "You've got a good eye. You sure you don't want to switch departments?" Christoph chuckled.

"While it might be nice, I think music's my true calling," he replied as he fiddled with several of the tracks he was working with. "But you've got a good ear. Maybe _you_ should consider switching departments." Aria only laughed as Christoph tossed her own words back at her. Christoph retreated back to his table, feeling almost giddy. It wasn't much, but it was the longest he'd spoken with her yet.

Thanks to Aria's help (spread out over a few more project exchanges), Christoph let out a sigh as he realized he'd just about finished. As he began packing up his things, inspiration stuck. Glancing over to make sure she wasn't looking, he pulled out a second pen and grabbed a clean napkin from his table, scribbling a note that he folded in with his tip. After sliding both tip—extra generous today, on account of the unusual lack of customers and her help on his assignment—and note into the jar at the counter, Christoph wished her a good night and stepped back out into the frigid air. His cheeks burned in embarrassment, and he didn't dare look back as he quickly walked in the direction of his dormitory.

 _Chatting with you was the highlight of my day,_ he'd written _, and not just because you have a good ear for music_. As if that wasn't embarrassing enough, he'd ended with _, The ribbon in your hair is a nice touch._

He supposed that, if nothing else, his cheeks would be warm all the way home.

The tinkling of the bell alerted Aria to a new customer, and even before she had a chance to see who it was, she felt a little flutter in her chest. It was approaching the time of the night when _he_ would stop by. So, maybe it wasn't the best idea to get too involved with a stranger (though Christoph was hardly a stranger by now), but she had to admit that she always looked forward to his visits to The Steaming Mug. She liked the little notes he left in her tip jar, the ones she fished out before the jar's contents were split between herself and her coworkers. She liked that he'd set aside what he was working on to engage in chitchat if there weren't any customers who needed drinks—more than once she'd made rounds of the tables for an excuse to talk.

A wide grin split her face as she caught sight of his signature baseball cap from her place at the coffee machine, and all too soon Shauna was bumping her towards the register with her hip. Aria flushed slightly as Shauna, who occasionally worked the late shift with her, gave a saucy little wink as she pulled the previous customer's cup out of Aria's hands to being mixing the drink. Still, Aria flashed Christoph a bright smile as he approached the register.

"The usual?" she asked in a teasing tone. Christoph chuckled, his hands already opening up his wallet.

"Naturally." Aria punched in his order, before nodding towards the display of baked goods.

"Want a bit of pumpkin bread? It's on me." Christoph's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and Aria laughed. "Come on, it's the end of the semester. You've gotta be just as swamped as I am! Besides—it's not like I've gotten you treats before." It was hard to believe that it'd been an entire semester since they'd begun chatting—it was around finals of the previous semester that he'd left the first note. Months of notes left in the tip jar or scrawled onto the side of coffee cups had flown by, and Aria regretted none of it.

"I could say the same to you," Christoph said, though he accepted her offer. "Don't you have another portfolio to finish?" Aria's nose wrinkled at the reminder as Shauna not-so-discretely maneuvered her back to her usual position when they worked together, allowing her to follow Christoph as he stepped out of the line to wait for his drink.

"Well, luckily for me, I've got _plenty_ of inspiration this time around," Aria replied with a wink. It was true, in a way. Since she, Shauna, and Serena had begun meeting up every now and then to spitball ideas or just browse what was currently in style, designs seemed to flow from her mind to the paper more easily. Or maybe she was also just becoming a better artist. Or, maybe, it was because she might have got into the habit of using Christoph himself as inspiration. Either way, Palermo was pleased with her progress. That was good enough for Aria—her advisor was _notoriously_ difficult on the fashion design majors.

"Lucky you," Christoph said with a shake of his head. "Well, if you ever want a pair of extra eyes on your work, you know where to find me."

"Same to you." Aria finished the details of the Emolga (his favorite pokémon, she'd found out a few weeks ago) she drew in his macchiato before she clamped the lid on tightly. He probably never saw any of her handiwork, but she liked putting it in for his drinks all the same. He would see the cheery note she always wrote onto the side of his cup, at least, and that was more than enough. "There you go! One macchiato. Enjoy!" Christoph flashed her a grin as he accepted the cup, his fingers brushing against hers briefly and sending little sparks racing up from her fingertips.

Her attention was quickly dragged away by the rest of their flood of customers, but from the way Shauna was sending her sly glances every time her gaze wandered to the table where Christoph sat, she knew she was in for it later.

"You won't even give _me_ pastries on the house," Shauna teased once the crowd had thinned and they had a moment to rest. "And I work with you! Talk about a cold shoulder." Aria poked her tongue out at the other girl, who grinned mischievously. "So? When are you gonna actually get his number or something? You've been talking for months!" Aria paused midway through wiping down the coffee machine. She'd genuinely forgotten about even asking—which was funny, since she was usually pretty forward about that sort of thing.

"Maybe today," Aria said with a grin, casting Christoph another look. He seemed stumped, if the way he was drumming his fingers on the table was any indication, and it was probably best not to bother him unless he looked ready for a break. "Besides, don't you give me that about pastries. Your mom sends you her own home-baked goods every other week." Shauna poked out her tongue.

"Free food is free food," she tossed back. Aria laughed, knowing her friend had a point. "Now come on. Let's get to work. Our portfolios don't make themselves you know, and you said he wouldn't tell!" Aria grinned, pulling the pen she now kept in her pocket during the late shift out and sliding a napkin over.

She had plenty of inspiration, but she still had quite a bit of work to do.

It was several hours later when Aria heard the telltale squeak of Christoph's chair. and she lifted her head in time to see him approaching their tip jar, as he usually did just before he left.

"Good night," he said, his voice unusually high-pitched and his face a shade of red that had Shauna nudging Aria's side as he deposited the folded piece of paper.

He then turned on his heel and marched right out of the coffeeshop without so much as a second glance behind him, though Aria could see the tips of his ears were just as red as his face.

"Well _now_ you gotta read his note," Shauna teased, twirling the folded sheet of paper in her fingers. Aria flushed, grabbing the note from Shauna and unfolding it carefully.

 _Would you like to go out with me?_ Aria's mouth dropped open and Shauna let out a little squeal. _To dinner, or something? As friends, if you want_. His handwriting grew messier with each word, as if his hand had been shaking, and Aria felt butterflies take flight in her stomach in response. In all their little chats, he seemed to be the more bashful one, and yet he'd beaten her to the punch. It was entirely unexpected, but Aria couldn't help but feel giddy.

Shauna startled Aria out of her thoughts with a whack to the shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "You should go after him!" She gave Aria a little shove. "Go on! I'll start cleaning up." she winked. "And if anyone asks, he left something behind." Aria grinned.

"I owe you one!" she said, pushing open the barrier that closed off the employees' workspace and rushing outside, brushing her pink hair out of her face as she searched for the familiar baseball cap. She let out a relieved sigh as she caught sight of him—despite his hasty exit from The Mug, he hadn't gotten very far. She took off after him, somewhat glad that the streets had begun to clear at this hour, and caught his arm, suppressing a giggle as he nearly jumped out of his skin. "Hey there," she said, pausing to catch her breath. She was jittery enough as it was, and taking the extra moment to recenter herself seemed as good an idea as any.

"H-hey," Christoph stuttered, his cheeks turning a darker red under the light of a street lamp. Evidently, he hadn't been expecting her to chase after him. "Er…" Aria grinned—he was cute when he was flustered.

"You forgot something, you know," she began, reading his expression intently. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion, and he'd begun to swing his backpack off his shoulder when she stopped him. "My number." She grinned as his expression shifted to one of surprise—and then _joy_. "If you're going to run off before I can say yes, then you should at least have a way to contact me." He let out a sputtered sort of response, but at least he was grinning.

"Really?" She nodded, and pushed her weight onto the balls of her feet, pressing a light kiss against his cheek and enjoying the way he flushed further. "Great! I was hoping you'd say yes," he trailed off with an embarrassed-sounding laugh. "Oh! I should probably give you my number, huh." He fumbled around his backpack and found a second scrap of paper, which he scrawled a series of digits onto before passing it over. "You probably have to head back, right?"

"Unfortunately. Shauna was nice enough to let me run after you, but I should probably help her clean up. I'll call you later?" Christoph grinned.

"I'll be waiting."

Aria flashed him one last smile and waved before turning back around and returning to work. A bubbly feeling rose in her chest, and when she stepped back into the shop, shooting one last grin and wave to Christoph as she went, she let out a breathy laugh and carefully folded the paper he had given her, tucking it securely into her pocket before she moved to pick up her share of the work.

Who could've guessed that a semester's worth of sporadic notes would lead to this?

* * *

 _Hello! Just a couple quick notes on this story-it comes straight out of the Coffeeshop AU that I made with my friend psykitties on tumblr! I've had it written for a while, but never got around to posting it...but today I discovered a song called "Unexpectedly" by Jason Chen and realized that, wow, the set-up in that video is so, so similar to the AU we dreamed up a while back. Hence, the title for this piece became_ Unexpectedly _. Thank you for reading! I'd appreciate getting some feedback if you wouldn't mind, but either way I hope you enjoyed reading this!_

 _Nox_


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